Rain extends planting season

Could we wish for more ideal conditions for planting? The weather is cool and moist.

OK, the soil is moist to soggy, but for any plants that you would like to install, the weather conditions are stress-free. Normally by mid-June constant attention to watering is necessary to ensure establishment of newly transplanted plants. Not so this year. Supportive conditions can change from positive to challenging, so donít wait.

There is never enough time to accomplish all that we want to in the spring. We currently have an extension to the planting season. Plant inventories in our local garden centers remain plentiful. Nurseries are less rushed than they were in April and May. Trees and shrubs are healthy and fully foliated. Some are in flower. Browse at your leisure.

Were you attracted to the magnolias, cherries, dogwoods, lilacs, azaleas or some of the other flowering plants that bloomed to excess this spring? If so, do not wait until fall or next spring to add several specimens to your landscape. Select and purchase now. Moist soil and average temperatures will support the establishment of the plants in your soil, on your property.

Another reason to plant is that today is Fatherís Day. There is a marked increase among men participating in the selection, planting and culture of fruiting plants. The first choice of budding orchardists seems to be apple trees, followed closely by grapevines. Blueberry bushes are first among the shrubs, with raspberries selected over blackberries among the brambles. Fruiting plants of all kinds are part of our New England heritage and normally do well in our yards.

It is likely best if you give Dad a gift certificate so that he can give some thought (and hopefully study) to the crop(s) that he would like to try. He may discover that many growers find pear trees to be easier to grow than apple trees, and blackberries more productive than raspberries.

Take time to make considered selections as to what to grow. Fruiting trees are long-lived and a major landscape feature on your property due to their spring blooming, fall fruiting and year-round architectural presence. While cherry, peach and other stone fruited trees may persist for only 30 or 40 years, apple and pear trees often outlive the planter. Because blueberries and the brambles are constantly renewed by pruning, they should be with you for decades.

Indeed, if you carefully select the site and prepare the soil, a planting of asparagus or rhubarb will provide good reason to look forward to spring for 40 or more years. Should someone in the family, perhaps Dad, be interested in food preparation as well as consumption, plantings of garlic, leeks, shallots, horseradish, sage and other herbs would pay tasty divisions over the years.

As awareness and concern over the food we eat increases, this may be the time to become, in some small way, your own producer. There is no need to stop your food production on the edges of the vegetable garden. Move on to the fruits!